Blake English – “The Neighbors”

If you haven’t heard of Blake English, you’re about to get to know him very well. His debut EP, Spiders Make Great Poets, is a punk-rock wonderland. A song like “The Neighbors” feels extremely My Chemical Romance (The Black Parade era), and it’s lyrical tentacles wrap right around your head.

Formerly of After Romeo, English carves out his own uniquely volatile social commentary. “What will the neighbors say when they hear the son is gay / Daughter’s a meth addict,” he confronts hard truths without batting an eye. “Mom’s drunk and sick of it / Daddy got paid today but beat mommy anyway.” His lyrics are incisive, laced up with leather whips, and even the song reinvents itself, musically, mid-way through. This is just the tip of the iceberg.